Getty Kendrick Perkins had a bold claim about Kawhi Leonard's free agency.
With news around Kawhi Leonard‘s free agency still relatively scarce, more and more former players are weighing in with things they have heard or rumors they feel are true. Caron Butler posted a picture of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Kawhi Leonard all photoshopped into Lakers gear. Meanwhile, Ricky Davis said the deal for Leonard to the Lakers was already complete.
While no concrete information whatsoever has come through regarding which way Kawhi might be leaning, the growing sentiment among rumors is that the Lakers seem to be the frontrunner in the race to land Leonard’s services.
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Lakers Hold ‘Upper Hand’ For Kawhi Leonard According to Kendrick Perkins
Just heard that Kawhi is meeting with the Clippers tonight but the Lakers hold the upper hand, unless Doc work his Magic tonight it’s looking very strong that Kawhi will be in Purple and Gold!!!
Former NBA big man turned aspiring coach/television analyst Kendrick Perkins went as far as to say that the Lakers held the upper hand as Kawhi goes into a meeting with the Clippers this evening. Perkins actually has a connection to Doc played under Clippers head coach for a number of years on the Celtics’ big three teams of the late 2000s.
Perkins has had some wild takes this offseason, however, the former NBA player has hit the nail on the head on occasion and it is worth noting as Kawhi moves on with his free agency decision. Kawhi is expected to give the Raptors the last meeting and inform them of his decision at the time so it seems that nothing is going to be leaked until potentially tomorrow at the earliest.
Perkins last suited up in the NBA in 2018 playing one game for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Lakers Free Agency Signings So Far
While the Lakers haven’t signed Kawhi, they have made two much smaller moves to help bolster their roster without infringing on their cap space. First, the Lakers signed Troy Daniels to a veteran minimum contract worth $2.1 Million and just before tip-off of their Summer League game, announced that Zach Norvell Jr. had been bumped up from his Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way roster spot.
Daniels is an extremely solid shooter who should be a nice addition off the bench. While not necessarily suited to play heavy minutes in the rotation, he looks to be a good option for 10-15 minutes a night in a system where he should get plenty of open looks from deep.
Norvell is a bit more of a jack of all trades, his addition on a two-way deal means the Lakers likely don’t intend to utilize him all that much but have seen some impressive upside since bringing him onboard. He shoots the deep ball well and has the frame to be a solid defender on the perimeter but clearly needs more refinement to his overall game. Consider him a jack of all trades, master of none at the moment – though that could change rather quickly.